?Community Players Of Concord Present 'It Can't Happen Here'

CONCORD, NH — "It Can?t Happen Here," a play by Sinclair Lewis, will be presented in an enhanced staged reading by the Community Players of Concord at 7 p.m. on Oct. 24 and Oct. 25, at the West Street Ward House, 41 West St. in Concord.

In 1936, as fascism was taking hold in Europe, Sinclair Lewis wrote "It Can?t Happen Here," a satiric novel that imagines the rise of a demagogue who becomes president of the United States. Lewis adapted the novel for the stage and it was produced by the WPA's Federal Theatre Project on Oct. 27, 1936, opening simultaneously in 21 U.S. theatres in 17 states.

The Community Players presents an update to Lewis? prescient work in this 2016 adaptation by Tony Taccone and Bennett S. Cohen. The play examines what brings citizens to the point of sacrificing their freedoms, and the efforts of those who try and overcome the fall of democracy.

This workshop production is directed by Glenn Stuart, Professor Emeritus of Theatre at New England College and longtime friend, performer and director of the Players. The cast includes a number of actors familiar to Players? audiences, including Wayland Bunnell, Kevin Guimond, Erik Hodges, Sharon Paquette, David Preece, Doug Schwartz, Greg Stuart, Griffin Stuart, Jim Gocha, and Kathy Hodges as well as a few new faces; Keri Bresaw, Amanda James, and Ian Harte.

Theatrical lighting, audio effects, and projections of photographs commissioned under the same funding program that supported the Federal Theatre Project will serve to enhance this staged reading and help set the stage for a compelling and frightening tale of the fall of American democracy.

Admission is free and donations to support the Community Players will be gratefully accepted. Seating is limited. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, visit Communityplayersofconcord.org or contact Inez McDermott, imcdermott57@gmail.com.

Submitted by the Community Players of Concord.